Risk and protective factors for substance use and media addictive behaviors in adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Objective This study examined the long‐term effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on adolescents' substance use, digital media use, and symptoms of internet, gaming, and social media addiction. Method A nationally representative longitudinal cohort of 1665 Israeli teens and preteens, aged 9–16, comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescence (London, England.) England.), 2024-06, Vol.96 (4), p.746-759
Main Authors: Shoshani, Anat, Kor, Ariel, Farbstein‐Yavin, Shaked, Gvion, Yari
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictions
Addictive Behavior
Addictive behaviors
Adolescents
children
COVID-19
Digital media
Drug use
Future
Health behavior
Life satisfaction
Mass media effects
Mental health
Mental Health Programs
Mental health services
Pandemics
Protective factors
Public health
Risk factors
Screen time
screen use
Social media
Social networks
Substance abuse
Symptoms
Teenagers
teens
well‐being
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Summary:Objective This study examined the long‐term effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on adolescents' substance use, digital media use, and symptoms of internet, gaming, and social media addiction. Method A nationally representative longitudinal cohort of 1665 Israeli teens and preteens, aged 9–16, completed questionnaires assessing substance use prevalence, daily screen time, symptoms of media addiction, and potential risk and protective factors. Data were collected before the pandemic (October 2019), after the second wave lockdown (November 2020), and after the fifth wave (April 2022) in Israel. Results The analysis documented significant increases in substance use, daily screen time, and social media addiction indices over time. Gratitude, life satisfaction, positive emotions, future orientation, grit, and secure attachment emerged as significant protective factors. Sensation‐seeking, negative emotions, and mental health symptoms were identified as risk factors. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of educational and public mental health services in addressing the pandemic's long‐term impact on the mental health and addictive behaviors of adolescents. They also emphasize the significance of enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors to effectively mitigate substance and digital media abuse among adolescents.
ISSN:0140-1971
1095-9254
DOI:10.1002/jad.12295